Christopher Vitale
Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art
Bachelor of Arts, English
Class of 2023
What kind of planning goes into painting a mural?
“It requires a lot of planning for sure. The first step is making a design. I kind of did that first step, a few months ago actually. But once the design is made, you have to check out the surface you are working on. For me, I have a pretty tricky surface because we have this texture on the wall that is kind of like pebbles, so it is difficult to paint over it. So I had to think about that before I started painting and figuring out exactly how I was going to go about getting the images transferred over onto the wall. The next step in the process after getting the image designed, you can start transferring the image. So I used a projector for that part of the process. Projectors are great because they make it pretty easy to transfer the whole image without having to use a grid. I used a projector and set it up across the street and I just put it up one night and projected the image onto the wall and traced it all out. The projector goes away after that and then I’m ready to start painting.”
What’s a dream project you’d like to do one day?
“I would really like to do a mural on a really large building, like a really tall building, multiple stories. That would be really fun. This one is twenty feet tall and it is the tallest that I have done, but I want to go many stories up. That’s definitely a dream of mine.”
What’s your favorite thing about the Rome School?
I really like that the classes are really personal. In the art department, classes are pretty small, there are usually only a couple people in each class. You really get one on one interactions with the professors and I really appreciate that a lot- it’s not like sitting in a lecture hall. That’s one of the things I really enjoy about the Rome School.
Why did you choose Catholic University?
“I chose Catholic because I loved Washington D.C.. I wanted to get away from Florida for a while and go somewhere that actually has more seasons. I love the campus. I am Catholic myself so I wanted to go somewhere that had a good faith community. I also liked the English department and the Art department was a bonus too.”
Where can people see more of your work?
“You can find my work if you are ever in south Florida - I have a few murals down there. I also have an Instagram where you can check out my work online and Salve Regina Gallery. They do various student shows throughout the year so I will have some art in there at the end of the semester and next semester as well.”